Wild Evolution
by DevilsNeverCry
Summary: Mutation: it is the key to our evolution. It has enabled us to evolve from a single-celled organism into the dominant species on the planet. This process is slow, and normally taking thousands and thousands of years. But every few hundred millennia, evolution explodes forward.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own X-men or Naruto.**

_Italics - character is not speaking English._

**Chapter 1: Game Night**

* * *

Bayville had scored another touchdown. The score was now 49 to 17.

The young man leaned back in his seat, brushed the spiky blonde hair out of his eyes, and put his hands behind his head with a sigh.

"Had I known this was going to be such a shutout I would have stayed home and got some training in. I thought you said this would be a good game, Scotty," he said as he looked towards the sky bored out of his mind. The other team wasn't even putting up a decent fight, something that he could at least appreciate.

His friend sitting there with him was fiddling with a coin in his hand, his eye twitched at his given nickname causing the ever present red shades on his face to shift a little.

"What can I say, I heard they were better than this," Scott Summers replied but his gaze didn't not turn away at the sight of the redheaded girl taking pictures of the scoring player on the field.

"Ma, I'm going to go grab a soda or something. You want anything?" asked the blonde as he got up from his seat.

"Nah, I'm good," said Scott finally turning his attention to him.

He wore a button up black short sleeved shirt with a white tank top underneath, a pair of orange shorts, and blue sandals. He was just a few inches shorter than Scott himself, expected since he was a year younger than him. His wild golden hair and ocean blue eyes were already eye catchers but what really made him stand out were the whisker marks on his face, two on each cheek. But Scott was used to his appearance now, knowing him ever since life had changed forever. He was his best friend. Naruto Uzumaki.

"Thanks anyway, Naruto."

"Bah, you always say that," said Naruto shaking his head and pointed at Scott, "Fine, but don't complain when I come back with a nice cold drink and you start getting thirsty. Totally not giving you a sip."

Naruto then made his way down the stands and towards the snack bar but not before bumping into a greasy looking boy he knew as Todd Tolansky accidentally knocking him down on his rear.

"Hey watch where you're going, Goldilocks," said Todd with a grunt. Naruto put up a cheeky smile and scratched his cheek.

"Ah, my bad. Sorry," said Naruto. He offered him a hand back up but Todd merely hopped up, it looked pretty unnatural when he did too which made Naruto cock an eyebrow.

"Yeah you better be sorry, chump. You're lucky I have things to do right now," he grumbled as he marched past Naruto who had a confused look on his face. Todd needed to get swiping while the swiping was good, there was no time to deal with airhead blondes right now.

"Man, some people," said Naruto with a shrug as he watched Todd slink towards the stands. He turned and went about towards the snack bar and he was almost there when a lovely, young voice called out to him.

"Hey Naruto!"

Naruto stopped and looked towards the direction of the voice, the redhead that Scott had been watching closely earlier.

"Yo, Jeanie-chan! What up?" he asked as she walked up to him, her long red hair flowing as she did so. She was the same height as him. She always had been.

"Are you leaving already? It's not even half way through 4th quarter yet," she said with a frown.

Naruto shook his, "Nah, just grabbing something to drink. But this game is so boring that is sucking the life outta me!"

Jean giggled and coy smile on her face, "Naruto, you do know the Snack Bar was scheduled to close early tonight right?"

"_What?!_" exclaimed Naruto. A few people gave him a weird look. Jean just sighed. Despite being raised most of his life in an English speaking household and speaking it perfectly, Naruto sometimes reverts to his original language when surprised or frustrated.

"Are you sure?" he asked frantically.

Jean nodded, "There was an announcement about it early today. Weren't you paying attention?"

Naruto shook his head, "No! I was too busy doodling my greatest doodle ever. _Damn this sucks!_"

Jean knew enough Japanese to understand that comment and gave the blonde a hard stare, "Naruto, language."

Naruto froze up and let out a nervous laugh, "Haha, sorry Jean. I got worked up. Man, I'm really thirsty now too."

Jean just shook her head, "Come on, let's find Scott. I have enough pictures for the paper and the game is almost over. Might as well try to beat the crowd out of here."

They started walking back towards the stands when Naruto asked, "What about Duncan?"

Jean shrugged, "He already knows I planned to leave a little early tonight to study for tomorrows test. He seemed ok with it."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow, "You didn't read his mind?"

Jean scoffed, "Naruto, you know that would have been a complete violation of trust on my part. Remember what the Professor has been teaching us all these years?"

"Just because you can do something doesn't make it right. What makes it right is the intention behind the action," said Naruto in a dull voice, "Yeah I know it, I've been hearing longer than you."

Jean just sighed, "If that is the case then why are you the one that is always causing tro-" She stopped talking as she heard some pretty loud mental activity coming from under the stands.

Naruto saw the worried look on her face and asked, "Something wrong?"

Jean nodded and briskly walked toward the disturbance with Naruto closely following her. When they reached the opening, they saw both Scott and Duncan grabbing each other with their fists held high.

"Scott? No!"

Scott, distracted by Jeans' call, received a sucker punch courtesy of Duncan knocking his shades off.

"Scott!"

Duncan was then blown away as the immediate area was filled with red energy that reached all the way to the Snack Bar and hit the gas tank out front which erupted into a fiery explosion scaring away the crowd.

Jean just looked on with horrified expression on her face.

Naruto palmed his face and just had one thing to say.

"_... Crap._"

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Naruto leaned against a car that had just pulled up outside of the football field. The window rolled down and revealed a finely dressed bald man with who had a look of concentration on his face.

"What's the verdict, sensei?" asked Naruto as he watched the ambulance on the field. Jean was talking with Duncan who seemed to have a concussion. Scott stormed off having watched the whole thing.

"Everything is under control here. Thank you for the timely call, Naruto," said the man who relaxed back into his seat.

"Ma, it's no big deal," said Naruto with shrug. He then looked up to the sky and gave a cheeky grin, "Guess Scotty was the one to cause trouble today."

"Indeed. Perhaps I should have a talk with him later about it," said Professor Charles Xavier as he linked his finger together with a serious look on his face.

Naruto gave the top of the car a pat and turned to the Professor with a smile, "Nah, leave that to me sensei! I'm sure he feels plenty bad about it anyway. Besides, wouldn't it be best to try and have everyone nice and calm for when the new guy shows up?"

The Professor looked at Naruto before giving a small smile, "Very well Naruto, I'll leave Scott to you. Now we better hurry, we have a train to catch."

"K, see ya later sensei," said Naruto as he walked in the direction that Scott did but not before stopping but the passenger side door and waving at the driver. "Bye Windy-chan!"

Ororo Munroe smiled and waved back as she drove off towards the train station. Naruto sighed as Jean walked up to him now that the ambulance carrying Duncan had gone.

"So, the Professor knows?" she asked timidly.

"Yep. Don't tell Scotty though, let it be a surprise," said Naruto with a little laugh.

Jean looked down and crossed her arms. "Did you see where Scott went?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head and nodded, "He probably went to get his car and head home."

Jean let out a frustrated groan, "Gah! What has he thinking fighting Duncan like that?"

Naruto walked into an alleyway and turned back toward Jean. "Ma, let it got Jeanie-chan. He probably didn't like it anymore than you."

Jean watched as a soft, golden glow outlined Narutos' legs. Naruto gave her a big, toothy grin and a thumbs up.

"Don't worry, Jeanie-chan! Everything is gonna be ok, see you at home!"

And with that Naruto ,in one powerful jump, launched to the top of the two story building and dashed towards the parking lot leaping from building to building before finally landing on the top of the building beside the lot. It was pretty empty save for a few cars, one of them being a red sports car with two white stripes down the middle. Sitting in the car was Scott who just seemed to be staring into space.

Naruto did one last checked to make sure the parking clear then took a running jump and landed a few feet from Scott in a crouch. As he stood up straight, the soft glow disappeared and he walked up to Scott who still hadn't acknowledged him.

"Yo," he said after a few seconds of silence.

"... Hey," replied Scott in a low voice. He still didn't meet Narutos' eyes.

The silence between them lingered.

"Wanna talk about it?" asked Naruto.

"Not really," said Scott. He still couldn't believe he let things get that out of hand.

"... Wanna go grab some food?" asked Naruto again. Now Scott looked up and finally met Narutos' blue eyes. There was no judgment, no anger, no disappointment. Just Naruto being Naruto. He smiled.

"Sure, there are some left over burgers in the fridge. They might be worth warming up."

Naruto smiled, "You can keep your burgers, I'll be cooking me some ramen."

Scott knew he would say something like that. He smirked, "You finally going let me give you a ride?"

Naruto jumped a few feet back. "Ha! No way you'll trick me into your screaming metal deathtrap that easily. I'll meet you there... Better yet I'll race you there! Loser has to do the dishes, Scotty!"

Narutos' legs glowed again but this time it was a stronger, brighter glow. He dashed towards woods at the edge of the parking lot, leaped into the trees, and started jumping from branch to branch making a beeline toward the mansion. His fading image looked like a candle in the dark before quickly vanishing.

"Hey! That's not fair!" yelled Scott as he turned his car on and raced out of the lot. He knew that he would be doing dishes tonight but at the moment he somehow didn't care too much.

* * *

**It has been awhile hasn't it?**

**Anyway I was recently rewatching some X-Men Evolution while reading the fantastic fanfic **_**Better Left Unsaid**_** by Kenchi618(seriously, go check it out)when this idea popped into my head. I hope I can stay inspired enough to at least get through the first season.**

**If anyone is wondering if any other Naruto characters will show up then let me say that there will only be a few. One is probably easy to guess. It won't be Sasuke let me tell you that but the other one will be highly unlikely that someone will guess who.**

**Anyway it will follow Evolutions plot pretty closely but I might come up with something unique here and there.**

**And no, no Kyubi, no ninjas, no chakra. This is set in the X-men universe and as anyone can see, Naruto is a mutant. As for his history, life, and power? Well, just stay tuned.**

**Peace.**


	2. Chapter 2

_**I don't own Naruto or X-men**_

_Italics- character not speaking English._

Underline - thoughts

**Dangerous Meetings**

Naruto was laughing as the red headed woman in the passenger seat reached back and tickled his leg. The blonde man driving the car was laughing as well. They were all laughing, all together. The sun was shining and the countryside was beautiful.

But the man suddenly stopped laughing and slowed the car down to a stop. Naruto peered over his seat and there in the middle of the road stood a hooded figure. The figure slowly lifted its arm toward the car, the sky darkened as it did so. When the figure had its arm fully extended with its palms facing toward them, Naruto and the other two passengers were thrown as the car was hit with a force strong enough to send it flying.

After that the images became blurry and dark and voices echoed all around him.

_"Get your hands off of my son!"_

_"Take Naruto and go!"_

_"Don't get in my way, Minato."_

_"Kushina, run!"_

_"Narutooo!"_

Naruto eyes flew open and he set up straight so fast he made himself dizzy. He ran his hands through his hair and checked his alarm clock. It was 5:45 a.m.

How many times has he had that dream now? How many times must he relive that day?

Naruto shook his head and decided to go for a jog around the grounds before it was time for school. He quickly got dressed and went downstairs to grab a small breakfast before his jog where he was not surprised to find Professor Xavier waiting.

"Good morning, Naruto. Did you sleep well?" asked the Professor as he took a drink of his coffee. Charles usually was the first one up in the household to make sure that the younger dwellers were ready for the day ahead.

Naruto put on a fake smile, "Yeah." He definitely didn't feel like talking about anything right now.

The Professor put down his mug and set aside the paper he had been looking over to give Naruto a knowing look.

"I don't need to read your mind to see that is false reply. You are a terrible liar, Naruto," replied Xavier.

Naruto slowly let the smile fade and looked down at his feet. A small moment of silence passed between the two before Naruto looked back up at Charles' eyes.

"... _I dreamt about __**that**__ night again_," he said in Japanese. He didn't want anyone else who might've heard them to know.

"I see. Do you want to talk about it?" asked Charles. Naruto shook his head and grabbed a bottle of water and a breakfast bar from the fridge.

"Nah, I just want to go for a run to get my mind off of it. Thanks anyway though," said Naruto in a low voice. He then opened the package, put the bar in his mouth, and walked out the backdoor.

Charles sighed and took a sip of his coffee. Ororo came in shortly after Naruto left and set down beside him with a worried look on her face.

"The dreams have been happening more frequently now. Perhaps his mind is trying to tell him something," she said softly. Charles linked his fingers together and leaned forward.

"Sometimes I wish I could read the boys' mind, Ororo. Maybe then we could find out what exactly happened that night so long ago," said Charles with heavy sigh.

Ororo put a hand on his shoulder, "We still don't know much about his powers. Perhaps when he gains full control over them, the block can be lifted and you can find out."

The Professor gave her a thin smile, "I often wonder if he will allow me to though. You remember when we found him that day 9 years ago. He was scared and alone, had been for nearly a year."

"And then you tried to look into his mind to see what happened and ended up unconscious for three days, yes I remember. That was when his powers activated," she finished for him. How could she forget the sight of the worlds' most powerful telepath being thrown nearly 20 feet back by a 7 year old child that exploded in a flash of golden light?

The Professor nodded, "If the day ever comes that Naruto has full control over his abilities, I do not think he will allow me to look into his mind. Not as he is now at least. He is still trying to run from those memories. He doesn't want to remember."

Ororo looked down at her hands, "If he really didn't want to remember, he wouldn't be dreaming about it in the first place. I think deep down, Naruto wants to find out. He wants to know who killed his parents... Could it really have been Magneto?"

Charles shook his head, "Minato and Erik may have never been on the best of terms but they still respected each other. Erik regarded Minato as a genius and wouldn't want to lose such a valuable mutant."

"But the way the area looked and how the car was torn apart... who else could have done that?" asked Ororo.

"We still don't know what kinds of mutants are out there or the nature of their powers. Minato had few mutant enemies in Japan that we know of. Powerful yes, but none of them capable of the destruction we saw and none of them claimed to be responsible from what Logan was able to find out," replied Charles. He took a drink from his coffee and rolled his chair around towards the elevator, it was time for him to get ready for the day. He stopped just before exiting the room and turned to look Ororo in the eyes.

"Perhaps you are right Ororo, perhaps Narutos' subconscious is trying to recall the events of that day. If that is the case, then it would be best to wait for him to sort out his memories on his own. All we can do is be there for him when he needs us to be," said the Professor. Ororo smiled and nodded at his reply. Charles then proceeded upstairs leaving Ororo alone with her thoughts.

'I'm just worried about what will happen when he does remember' she thought.

She still remembers the look on Narutos' face when she first met him. It was the look of someone who had given up on everything. That didn't care about anything. It was a dark, haunting look and she never wanted Naruto to look that way again. It took them almost a full year to pull him from that spiral and she was legitimately scared of what Naruto would have become had they not succeeded.

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Naruto returned back from his jog just in time to get ready for school. A quick shower and change into what he called his civvies and he was ready to go. All he needed to do was brush his teeth and he'd be set but lo and behold as Scott was waiting outside the bathroom door. Not a good sign.

"Give it up Jean, it's hopeless," said Scott as he knocked on the door.

"I'll be done in a second," came a muffled reply.

"Oi, what's the hold up?" asked Naruto as he walked up to Scott.

"What do you think is the hold up?" said Scott, "Come on Jean, we're gonna be late!"

"Almost done!" came another muffled reply. Narutos' eye twitched, Jean always took way too long in the bathroom.

"Oi! Jeanie-chan hurry up, I need to brush my teeth!" he exclaimed from behind Scott.

"Just a few more seconds Naruto, I promise!" came a third muffled reply. Scott had had enough, they were seriously going to be late if this kept up.

"Look! You want me to blow this door-" but he stopped as the door opened revealing the lovely Jean Grey, "-down?" he asked momentarily stunned by Jean who just smiled.

"So are we going or what?" she asked as she ran a finger under Scotts chin causing him to give a smile.

Naruto shook his head and rushed pass Scott to brush his teeth.

"Geez, you always take too long in the bathroom Jeanie-chan," he said though it was hard to understand due to the toothbrush in his mouth.

Jean shrugged, "Hey, a girl has to look good. You try having this much hair and keep it smooth."

Naruto rinsed, gargled, and spit. He then wet his hand and ran it through his hair to give it a wavy spikes look.

"No thanks, I'd much rather just do this."

Jean just shook her head and asked, "Is it any wonder you don't have a girlfriend?"

"Oi! I could get a girl if I wanted to," said Naruto with a fist up then scratched the back of his head, "... It is just that no girl I know interests me at the moment."

Scott let out a small laugh, "Sure, then why were you nearly stumbling over yourself when Portia waved at you the other day?"

Naruto growled and pointed at Scott, "Oh yeah mister smooth, then where is your girlfriend?"

Scott cleared his throat as they descended the stairs, "Well... I just haven't found the right girl yet."

"Ha! Same answer as me," said Naruto with a victory grin. The two boys did not notice Jeans' expression when Scott said he hadn't found the right girl.

As they reached the bottom of the stairs, Scott called out, "We're heading out , Professor!"

"Just a moment you three! Come here, there is someone here I would like you to meet," replied the Professor. The three of them walked into Charles' study where he was waiting with a hooded figure.

Naruto froze for a single moment when he saw the figure but shook his head and quickly regained his composure.

'Just a coincidence' he told himself, "This the new guy, sensei?"

Charles nodded and gestured towards the mysterious guest, "Yes. This is Kurt Wagner, he arrived late last night."

Scott walked up to the hooded stranger, "Hey Kurt, this is Jean and Naruto. I am Scott. How you doing?" When Scott extended his hand for a handshake, Kurt shyly took a few steps back.

"Kurt, you are among friends here," said the Professor as Jean went to stand beside him.

Kurt seemed to be trying to decide when Naruto walked up and gave him a pat on the back.

"Welcome!" exclaimed Naruto with a smile. But Kurt was startled by Narutos' greeting and poofed out of existence.

"Wha?!" asked Naruto with wide eyes as Kurt appeared on the other side of the room.

Narutos' eyes seemed to light up, "Oh that was totally awesome!"

Kurt hesitated then lifted his hand up and removed his hood revealing a blue furred face.

"You really think so?" asked Kurt timidly with light German accent

"Believe it!" said Naruto with a grin. Kurt regarded Naruto with a strange look before returning his grin with a small smile of his own.

The Professor cleared his throat, "I was just explaining to Kurt how I set up this for gifted youngsters, youngsters whose gifts are not always an asset. Right Scott?" He gave Scott a knowing look.

"Uh, so you heard about last night," replied Scott slowly.

"Difficult not to, it was all over the news."

"It was a bad situation and I'm sorry," said Scott as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I know," said the Professor linking his fingers together, "Fortunately no one was seriously hurt and the true cause wasn't discovered but you must be more careful, Scott."

"Come on, Professor! I'm packing a bazooka behind each eyeball, what do you want from me?!" asked Scott as he gestured to his eyes.

"Control Scott! That is what you are here to learn, that's why you're all here," the Professor said then turned toward Kurt to explain the situation, "Scotts' eyes emit a destructive optic blast beam."

"Cool," replied Kurt with genuine wonder on his face.

Charles smiled then turned to his three senior students, "I'll be helping Kurt get settled in, we can talk more tonight."

"Alright then Professor. See you later Kurt," said Scott as he headed out.

"Bye!" said Jean who quickly followed him.

Naruto lingered behind a few moments more then headed toward the window and opened it up.

"Naruto, you know that windows are not proper means of exiting a house," chided the Professor.

Naruto just gave a mischievous grin before his legs began to glow gold surprising Kurt. He then put his foot on the window sill and turned to the Professor, "Yeah but doors are boring!"

Naruto then launched from the window to a tree and began making his way towards the school, nearly turning into a blur to Kurts' eyes.

The Professor sighed and softly smiled, "As you can see Kurt, you have nothing to worry about around here."

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Naruto had gotten back from school a little earlier than normal. Normally he waits on Scott and Jean before heading back to the mansion but he had been tense all day and was in a need of a serious Danger Room session. He wanted to smash things. He was on his way down when he saw Storm in her uniform and tilted his head.

"What's up, Windy-chan? Will you be joining in the training session today?" asked Naruto.

Storm chuckled, "No, the Professor has asked me to audition a potential mutant that has found his way onto the estate."

The sky had been darkening in the last hour and made it seem considerably later than it was. This was Storms' doing.

"Ah, who?"

"A young man named Todd Tolansky, he goes to your school I believe," replied Storm as she walked towards the balcony.

"Toady Tolansky is a mutant?... Can't say that I'm surprised," said Naruto with a thoughtful look on his face. He then gave Storm a mischievous grin, "Well try not to scare him too much, he isn't the bravest kid around from what I hear."

Storm gave a serene smile, "Noted, Naruto." She then flew off into the sky, presumably toward the direction of Toad.

Naruto then went down to the basement to suit up. He arrived into the locker room and stopped in front of a locker that said RUSH on it He then removed his civvie clothes in favor for his X-men uniform.

The bottom half consisted of a pair of black pants with orange stripes going down the side, a pair of black armored combat boots with an orange X on each, and a black belt with an orange X on the buckle. The top half was a sleeveless, black flak jacket that had a giant orange X that covered his torso with a lighter black shirt underneath it, the sleeves stopping at his elbows. He also wore a pair of black, fingerless gloves with metal plating on them and a black headband to keep his hair out of his eyes. The outfit was designed to give him the mobility and freedom for close quarters combat.

He sighed as he walked up to the Danger Room entrance and waited for a few minutes.

"_... Let's see, Scotty and Jeanie-chan would just now be getting here, then they have to come down, get dressed, then Scotty would want to discuss what tactics he wants to go over today, and blah, blah, blah,_" he said as he talked to himself.

He then grinned, entered the password, and opened the door. The room was big and empty, one wouldn't think that it was probably the most dangerous place in Bayville.

Naruto smirked and went to the control panel near the door. He quickly typed in "Wolverine/Rush simulation 3," then waited as the computer began to the program. The lights came on and panels began to open. Four large laser cannons emerged from the panels along with several small laser cannons and robotic tentacles with various dangerous looking devices on each emerged all over the room.

Naruto grinned as his entire body began to gain a golden outline. He felt the power surge within him and spread. Rush was ready to go.

However just at the program was about to initiate, a poof of black smoke near the top of the Danger Room appeared and both Nightcrawler and Toad fell down.

The two boys recovered from their stumbled just in time to see the cannons lock into position.

"Woah, where are we?!" asked Nightcrawler.

"I dunno but I don't like the look of that!" exclaimed Toad as a cannon pointed at them.

Naruto growled and yelled, "What the hell are you two doing in here?!"

The two turned around to see a glowing, angry Naruto.

"You aren't ready for this! Look out!"

The two jumped out of the way just in time to dodge a shot from a canon. Another cannon took aim at Nightcrawler who was unaware as he was dodging some of the robot tentacles that he had attracted attention from. Naruto ran forward and jumped towards the cannon that was taking aim at Nightcrawler and came down on it with a powerful punch, destroying it. He then jumped off the destroyed cannon towards one that was currently shooting at Toad and took it down with downwards kick.

At this point, both Cyclops and Jean ran in all suited up.

"Jean, you make sure that those two avoid the tentacles," said Cyclops, "Rush! You and me will take care of the cannons!"

Naruto gave a nod, "You got it!"

Three more cannons came out of panels and began shooting at them. Cyclops sidestepped the shots and fired his beam, destroying one of them. Naruto ran forward dodging shots on the way and destroyed another with an uppercut then rebounded off of the wall towards another cannon and took it out with a stomp.

Nightcrawler was jumping left and right to avoid the blasts, the last one had gotten very close so he decided to scale the wall. He did not notice the tentacle with an electric current reaching for him when he suddenly was lifted off the wall out of harm's way.

He turned and saw that his rescuer was Jean and said, "You're an angel!"

Jean laughed, "On occasion. How about you, are you a demon?" Nightcrawler just smiled sheeply.

Toad was in a nightmare, no way he was going to stay with these freaks. Mystique can threaten him all she likes, this just isn't worth it. Another blast knocked a watch that he bought earlier from his pocket and the following blast destroyed it.

"Ow! I just bought that!" he yelled as he landed in front of the wall that started to come out in front of him. He tried to back up and run away but part of the floor and block him. He was going to get squashed but the wall suddenly stopped. Toad turned his head to see Naruto holding the wall back. Then with a growl, Naruto destroyed the panel that blocked Toads' path out with a back kick.

"Get over to Cyclops!" he yelled as he ran to intercept a tentacle from grabbing Jean. Jean gave him a smile as he ripped the tentacle from the wall and used it to smash another cannon.

**Confirmed. Shut down in 5 seconds.**

Nightcrawler gained a look of understanding and smiled, "Ah now I get it, this is some training area! Watch!"

He teleported out of Jeans' grasp onto one of the bigger cannons and reached for its plug, "Just pull the plug and-wah!"

When Kurt pulled the plug, the cannon went out of control and began to fire rapidly at random. One shot hit near Cyclops and Toad blowing them into the wall. It then shot more and more all over the room, Naruto took a deep breath and brought out more power, glowing more intensely. He then brought his arms up as if to protect himself and rushed forward. The cannon shot several lasers at him but he just blocked the shots with his arms. When he reached the underside of the cannon, he jumped with all his might and hit it with his entire body, tearing it completely off the side of the wall and utterly destroying it.

The Danger Room shut down and the remaining tentacles and cannons receded into the walls.

Naruto let his power fade before turning to look at the Professor.

"Forget this man, I've seen enough! I am outta here!" yelled Toad who fled.

"Tolansky!" yelled Cyclops who groaned as he sat up. "Sorry Professor, I couldn't stop him."

Naruto couldn't hear what the Professor saying to Scott due to his passive mental block but he was sure it was something like Toad wasn't ready.

"I blew it too, Professor," said a downtrodden Nightcrawler. He knew he messed up taunting Toad like that. "I'm sorry, you've been wonderful but I guess... I... I just don't belong here!" He then teleported out.

Scott was immediately on the case, "No sweat Professor, I'll take care of it." He then went to go look for the blue boy.

Jean walked over to Naruto and gave him a chiding look, "Just couldn't wait for Scott and I to show up could you?"

Naruto gave an nervous smile, "Well, you two were taking your sweet time."

Jean just sighed, "At least no one got hurt."

The Professor felt an old friend just enter the grounds and decided to go make sure that Toad wouldn't get cut on his way out.

Naruto stretched, "Ma! That was a good workout! But man I could go for some ramen right now!"

Jean just shook her head and walked out of the Danger Room. Naruto followed her but instead of heading to go change, he headed towards the first floor. He felt a familiar aura and grinned.

When he reached the floor, he saw that Toad had busted out of a window and bumped into a very intimidating man with blade-like claws sticking out of his hands.

"No Logan!" The man looked up and saw the Professor.

Naruto jumped up to the second floor and walked up behind the Professor as he welcomed Logan home.

"Well, well. Look who decided to sprout up a few inches. Long time, no see, Whiskers," said Logan as Naruto came into view.

"Yo Old Man!" said Naruto with a grin. Logan growled, that nickname got under his skin for some reason.

"You planning on sticking around longer this time?" asked Naruto as he leaned on the railing.

"Maybe," replied Logan who walked toward the mansion, "You been keeping up with your training?"

"Ha, Yeah! I bet I could mop the floor with your furry butt now, Old Man!" Naruto said with a loud laugh.

Logan sneered, "Keep that up and I might just take up on that offer."

The Professor just sighed and went back inside. He already knew that Scott had managed to convince Kurt to stay which was good but he couldn't help but have a foreboding feeling in the back of his mind that these peaceful times were about to become rather turbulent. He decided that he would spend some of the night catching up with Wolverine before he went back to searching for new mutants.

Charles knew that his old friend would be doing the same and he would try to prevent anyone from being used by him ever again.

* * *

**Chapter 2 get!**

**I have to say it is rather fun trying to work Naruto into this universe. Just wait until I get going, I have a few surprises in store.**

**Peace out.**


	3. Chapter 3

_I don't own X-men or Naruto_

_Italics - character not speaking Japanese_

Underlines - thoughts

**Chapter 3: Phases**

Naruto was gripping the armrests of his chair like his life depended on it. His nerves were sky high right now. Let it be known that Naruto is afraid of very few things in this world, one of them being in a moving vehicle 1 mile in the air flying at mach speed.

"How you holding up back there, Naruto?" asked Jean from the front of the X-jet.

Naruto laughed nervously, "Oh I'm just fine." The jet hit some turbulence and he accidentaly ripped off the left armrest. He attempted to put it back but to no avail so he settled for gripping the side of the seat.

"See? Just fine," he said with a wavering voice.

The Professor sighed, "I'm beginning to wonder if we should just strap him down when taking the X-Jet anywhere."

"_Oi, I'm not that bad, sensei!_"

"Apparently you are," said Jean with a smile, "Professor, I don't understand why you chose only myself and Naruto for this. Why not all of us?"

"Because I believe that you can connect with this girl," replied the Professor while keeping his attention on the flying.

"I hope so, Professor," said Jean, she didn't sound so sure herself, "But what about the other kid that Cerebro picked up? The one in the foster home."

"Yes, Lance Alvers. That is who Naruto is here for," said Charles as he prepared for landing.

Jean gave him a skeptical look, "Naruto isn't exactly known for his tact, Professor."

"I can still hear you back here, Jeanie-chan," said Naruto in a flat voice.

"I know." She chuckled when she heard Naruto growl.

The Professor let out a chuckle himself, "Your right Jean, Naruto is more straight forward than you or Scott but that is why I believe he can reach Lance easier. Don't worry about it, just keep your focus on Kitty. Now, prepare for landing."

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Naruto jumped from one building to the next heading towards the school. Trying to meet Lance at the foster house before he left for school was a bust. But what bothered Naruto was that when he asked the caretaker about Lance, she became really skittish. The house itself was a mess. Walls were cracked, shelves had been knocked down, and windows busted out. The caretaker said that they had just experienced a small, localized earthquake recently and that everything was fine. Naruto knew that wasn't the case.

He finally landed on top a building across the street from the school just in time to see Jean get out of a cab and head towards the entrance. Naruto took a running jump and leaped clear across the street landing a few feet in front of Jean startling her.

"Ah! Naruto! You know I hate it when you do that!" said Jean angrily.

Naruto gave her a mischievous chuckle, "You're just saying that because I'm the only one that can sneak up on you!"

Jean put her hands on her hips, "Whatever, I'm guessing that Lance had already left for school?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah. The foster house was a wreck and the caretaker there looked ready to bolt when I said I wanted to talk to Lance."

Jean turned and continued toward the school with Naruto beside her, "That isn't good. If Lance has been using his power to intimidate people it's going to cause problems at home."

Naruto put his hands behind his head, "No kidding. Man, why do I get the troublemaker? Hey wanna switch? That Kitty girl looked pretty cute to me."

Jean gave Naruto a coy smile, "Nice try but you'd probably scare her off in 2 minutes. No, you get Lance and I'll get Kitty."

Naruto sighed, "Ok but don't blame me if the guy ends up causing problems."

"That's precisely why the Professor chose you to talk to Lance, you're both troublemakers," said Jean with a grin.

"I don't cause trouble, it just seems to be attracted to me," replied Naruto in a small voice.

Jean giggled, "Look, why don't we split up? I'll look around the outside of the campus and you take a peek inside."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow, "Wouldn't it be better for me to look outside and you look inside? I can cover ground a lot faster than you."

She shook her head, "We need to keep a low profile and the only way for you to do that is to stay indoors."

"I thought I wasn't going to school today," he said in a defeated tone, "Oh yeah, where is sensei?"

Jean sighed, "Kittys' parents weren't exactly wanting to listen to us earlier. The Professor sent me ahead to make contact with Kitty while he stayed behind to try and convince her parents that we only want what is best for her."

Naruto nodded and walked towards the entrance of the school but stopped just before opening the door. He turned back to face Jean and gave her a thumbs up, "I'll try my best Jeanie-chan but if you hear a ruckus get started don't blame me!"

Jean nodded and headed around the school to see if she can pick up any wayward thoughts while Naruto headed inside.

He scratched the back of his head and wondered just how he was supposed to find this guy. He could use his ability but it was still rather new and he could only distinguish auras he was familiar with. So he decided to go with the try and true method of looking.

"_Man, why do all schools look the same?_" he wondered out loud as he walked down the halls. Suddenly he felt the ground shaking violently. Trying not to stumble, he turned just in time to see Lance standing beside Kitty while making the ground quake. Kitty had a terrified look on her face as Lance continued to shake the ground. The doors of all the lockers began to blow open by the force of the tremors.

Naruto knew this had to stop before things got out of hand so he drew out a little bit of power, rushed forward and seized Lance by the wrist.

"Oi, don't you think that is a bit much?"

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Today was not a good day for Kitty. First she had last night's incident, then she gets shoved into her locker only to phase through the door just like she did her ceiling last night and now some freaky guy was making the entire school shake. She was about to have a freak out when a blonde boy seemed to appear out of thin air and grabbed Lance by the wrist.

"Oi, don't you think that is a bit much?" asked golden haired stranger. If Kitty didn't know any better she could have sworn that he was glowing.

The tremors stopped as Lances' concentration was disrupted by the blondes' intrusion. He gained an angry look and tried to pry his arm out of the other boys' grasp but found it difficult to do so.

"Let me go!" he said angrily as he attempted to take a few steps back.

"Just what are you trying to do over here, scare her to death?" asked the blonde. He let Lance go who stumbled back a few steps before regaining his footing. Naruto turned to Kitty and asked, "You ok?"

Kitty nodded but didn't say anything. All she can think was that this boys' eyes were the bluest she had ever seen.

"Who the heck are you?" demanded Lance taking a few steps forward.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head, "Name is Naruto. You know it really isn't smart to be using your powers in the open like that."

Lance scoffed, "What is it to you, blondie?"

"Oh good, you aren't color blind. That's a plus I guess," said Naruto with a smirk. A girlish giggle was heard and the two boys looked at Kitty who had covered her mouth. Naruto smiled at her, happy he got her to giggle while Lance narrowed his eyes then turned to Naruto.

"Why don't you get outta here? Me and Kitty have some things to discuss," said Lance taking a step forward.

Naruto did not back down, "Why don't you both come with me? We can go somewhere to talk about your gifts with my friends."

"No chance, there is nothing to talk about. Right, Kitty?" asked Lance who looked at her. She backed away and he grabbed her wrist. "I said right, Kitty?!"

Naruto immediately grabbed Lance by the arm and pulled it behind his back making him groan and go down on one knee. He turned to Kitty and said, "Go on, I've got this."

Kitty gave him a pleading look before running out of the hallway to her next class. Naruto hoped that Jean could calm her down and explain what was going on carefully. As for Lance, he looked down at the subdued boy. He released his grip and Lance turned around with an angry look on his face.

"Some advice, teme. You can't force people to like you. Trust me, I know," Naruto said calmly. What he really wanted to do was to deck Lance for scaring Kitty like that but he had to play it calm.

Lance stood to his full height which was a bit more than Narutos' and grabbed him by shirt.

"Stay out of this, blondie, it doesn't involve you. I don't need you or your friends and neither does she," he growled making his stance perfectly clear. Naruto narrowed his eyes, "Maybe you don't need us and that's fine but it's not up to you to decide for Kitty."

The ground began to shake as Lance was getting angrier, "Last chance, airhead! Back off or else!" As soon as he made that threat though he found himself pinned up against the wall. Naruto was now glowing gold holding him up but his collar with an angry look.

"And here is your last chance, leave Kitty alone before I lose my temper and kick your ass," growled Naruto in a low voice. Lance had a surprised look on his face and the tremors stopped. Naruto dropped him to the ground and walked away in a sour mood. Lance watched him go before standing up and walking away with his hands in his pockets.

'I'll show you not to mess with me, blondie' he thought.

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Naruto watched as Jean walked out of the auditorium shortly after Kitty ran out from atop the main school building. He had a feeling that whatever they talked about didn't go so smooth. He jumped down and met Jean in front of the school track.

"How did it go?" he asked though he could've guessed.

Jean shook her head, "Things... could have gone better. I also met Lance, he is quite the charmer."

Naruto let out a small laugh at Jeans' sarcasm then brought his hands behind his head and leaned against the building.

"That may be my bad," admitted Naruto, "I kind of threatened him when he tried to force Kitty to go with him."

Jean brought her eyebrows down into an angry look, "What do you mean?"

Naruto explained what happened in the hallway and how Lance tried to use force to get Kitty to follow him. Jean took it all in and rubbed her eyes.

"The Professor isn't going to like that. I doubt he will let Lance come to the institute now," she said in a low tone.

Naruto just scoffed, "We don't need guys like him anyway."

Jean nodded in agreement and considered where to go from here.

"Man, what are we gonna do?" asked Naruto looking up at the sky.

Jean was about to come up with a suggestion but her eyes lost focus for a moment before she looked toward where they landed the X-Jet. Naruto saw this and perked up, "What's up?"

Jean turned back with smile of relief, "The Professor managed to convince Kittys' parents that she really needs to listen to what we have to say and have her best interest in mind. They are on their way here right now."

"Oh yeah! Leave it to sensei to save the day," exclaimed Naruto as he shot a fist in the air.

Jean giggled at his childish antics and began to walk towards the front of the school.

"Look, why don't you find Kitty and see if she will meet up with us?" asked Jean.

Naruto gave her a confused look, "Eh, why me?" Jean turned around and faced him.

"Let's just say your name came up when she and I talked," she said in a knowing voice, a coy smile grew on her face, "I think you'll have a much easier time talking with her than I would right now."

Naruto gave Jean a squinted look before heading back into the school.

"Ma, whatever you say Jeanie-chan, but I thought sensei said you'd be that one could reach her," he mumbled as he opened a side door and walked in.

Jean turned and continued on to meet the Professor and Kitty's parents.

'The Professor knows many things but the heart of a teenage girl is not one of them' thought Jean as she let her coy smile grow across her face.

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Naruto didn't know where to look for Kitty so he figured the best place to start would be where he met her and wouldn't you know it, there she was at her locker. He decided that sneaking up on her wouldn't be the best plan so he called out to her from the end of the hallway.

"Oi! Neko-chan!" he yelled waving his hand. Kitty turned and saw him standing there waving his hand like a puppy wags its tail, a cute puppy.

She didn't move at first, giving him a wary eye. Instead she closed her locker and asked, "What do you want?"

"I just want to talk," replied Naruto. His body language said that he was waiting on her to come to him.

She was hesitant at first and really just wanted to go home but there was something about his blue eyes that made her walk towards him. He gave her a toothy smile when she was finally within normal talking range.

"Ma, I am glad you didn't bolt on me like you did with Jeanie-chan," he said in relief.

Kitty just gave him a confused look then asked, "You're... Naruto Uzumaki, right?" Naruto nodded and smiled at her, apparently Jean was nice enough to properly introduce him since he wasn't exactly cordial earlier.

Kitty stared at him a few moments more before asking, "What was that name you called me?"

Naruto tilted his head, "You mean Neko-chan?" She nodded and he gave her a grin, "It literally means kitty in Japanese."

Kitty almost let a smile through her facade of cautiousness. She leaned against the locker, crossed her arms, and leveled an angry look at Naruto.

"You gonna read my mind too?" she asked almost afraid that he'd say yes. She did not want him finding out she thought he was cute right now and thankfully Naruto shook his head.

"Nah, only Jean and sensei can do that," said Naruto as he too leaned against a locker. Kitty took a few seconds to gather her courage as curiosity had reared its ugly head.

"So... what can you do?" she asked slowly. Naruto smirked and looked down the hallway to make sure they were alone. He did not spot an pair of angry brown eyes watching the two from a cracked door.

Naruto then stepped closer to her and she took a single step back before stopping and stepping back forward. Eventually the two were only a foot away from each other, Kitty was sure she was blushing but if she was Naruto either didn't notice or didn't call her out on it. He lifted his arm between them and soon a golden outline appeared around it. Kittys' sky blue eyes went wide with wonder, she had never seen anything like this before. She slowly lifted her hand to touch his arm before stopping and looking in his eyes.

Naruto smiled, "Go ahead, I won't hurt you." Kitty nodded and placed her hand on his forearm. He was warm, like really warm and seemed to be almost vibrating with this strange energy. Kitty moved closer to him as if an up close look would reveal the secret of this wondrous energy. She ran her hand across the top of his arm and felt a warm breath on her face. She looked up and saw that she had gotten way closer to him than she had thought and blushed intensely.

Naruto chuckled, "Sorry, that tickled."

Kitty let a small smile slip through then looked back down as the glow faded away. Curiously though, his arm only lost some of its warmth, he was still incredibly warm.

"What is it?" she asked. She didn't remove her hand from his arm yet for unknown reasons to Naruto but he just chalked it up to being new to it.

"Would you believe me if I said we still don't know for sure?" he said in a quiet tone. "All I know is that without it, I am still faster and stronger than most normal people out there but when I do use it everything about me enhances. My speed, my strength, my senses, even my emotions and natural recovery rate."

Kitty stared at his eyes as he tried to explain his almost impossible power. He broke out into a sheepish grin, "In fact there are only there are only two downsides to it so far, one is that I have to eat a lot. I mean a LOT. Apparently I need a whole bunch of sustenance to keep my energy levels up." He chuckled at remembering the time that Logan said he'd eat sensei out of home and wealth.

He then became more serious and looked Kitty directly in her eyes, "The other downside is far more of a downside. When my powers first developed, I was going through a really rough patch in my life. I was angry all the time. I didn't want help, I didn't want to be different. My power enhanced my anger and I sometimes would lose control and just start going berserk."

Kitty saw something pass through his eyes for a moment and asked, "What happened?"

Naruto smiled, "I was lucky that sensei had already found me by that point and spent the better portion of a year to pull me out of that dark place. Windy-chan and the Old Man also helped out. They taught me self-control and how to channel my power without losing it. Then Scotty and Jeanie-chan came and together we learned that being different isn't such a bad thing."

Kitty looked away and out the window. She wasn't so sure she was ready for all this, it was too fast too soon. Naruto reached out and grabbed her hand causing her to look back at him with a blush.

"Look," he started in a calm voice, "We've all been where you are now, Neko-chan. I know what it's like to feel all alone and confused. All we want to do is help you learn about your gifts, maybe even become your friends if you let us. I know I could've used a friend when my powers first showed up."

Kitty just stared into his eyes before looking down, "Daddy wouldn't allow it, he doesn't want to believe there is anything different about me."

"Then show him," said Naruto in a strong voice, "Prove to him that you are special."

Kitty found her way to his eyes again and could swear they were sparkling. He smiled at her and she couldn't help but smile back. He nodded and took her by the hand as the two began toward the exit.

"Come on, Jeanie-chan said that your parents are on their way here with sensei," he said smiling, "You can show your old man just what you can do."

Kitty blushed and looked away from his eyes, "I can't even control it yet, how am I suppose to show him something I don't know how to do?"

Naruto let go of her hand much to her disappointment and moved it to grasp her shoulder so that she would look up at him.

"None of us knew how our powers worked at first, it takes some time getting used to them but they've always been there it's just now we are aware of them," he said with confidence, "If all else fails, go with your instincts. That is what I do."

Kitty still wasn't sure but knew that Naruto was right. She was different but that was ok, she just had to show her father that she was.

The pair were almost down the hallway when Lance stepped out of his hiding place with a disgruntled look on his face. Naruto stopped and glared at Lance, "What do you want, Rocky?"

Lance ignored him and looked at Kitty shooting her a pleading expression, "Don't believe him, Kitty! He is just trying to confuse you. Come with me, together we won't need anyone."

"No way!" she said loudly shaking her head, "I'm going with Naruto!"

Lance growled taking a few steps forward, small tremors began to shake the school as he did so. Naruto stepped in front of Kitty with his arms crossed, a soft golden glow outlining his entire body causing Lance to pause his advance.

The two stared each other down before Naruto sighed, "You know, you could still come with us if you want. You might be a jerk but sensei wouldn't refuse taking you in."

Lance glared at Naruto, "As if! I've been on my own for as long as I can remember, I don't need anyone!"

Lance was expecting an outburst of angry retorts or a threat to kick his ass kicked but he sure as hell wasn't expecting was a look of understanding.

"Yeah, I know that feeling," Naruto replied in a low voice, "It's terrible isn't it? Thinking no one else cares about you, to be all alone in this big world. It sucks." Naruto closed his eyes and there was a moment of silence, only thing that was heard was the soft shaking of the school. He opened his eyes back up and ocean blue met dark brown, "But you don't have to be alone anymore, you can come with us."

Lance looked at him with wide eyes and didn't know how to respond. It was at that moment when Jean with Kittys' parents ran around the corner on the other side of the hall.

"Kitty!" yelled her father.

Kitty turned around and saw her parents standing there with Jean, "Daddy?"

Kitty's dad stepped forward and her mom had her hand on his shoulder, he had an apologetic look on his face.

"Look, Kitty. I am sorry, ok?" he said with a pleading expression, "I didn't want to believe, I hoped that if it was ignored that it would go away. But I was wrong, Kitty. These people... I believe that they really want to help you and I want them to help you to. So please, come with us. Let's learn about this together."

He stood there with open arms waiting for his daughter to run and embrace him. Kitty stared at him with wide eyes as tears formed and streamed down her face. She slowly began to walk towards him when the school shook violently. Turning around, she saw Lance with an outrage look on his face.

This was all just too much for Lance. He was already angry when Kitty rejected him but when her parents showed it and her father spoke those words of encouragement and acceptance it was just a stinging reminder that his parents abandoned him years ago. That ticked him off to no end.

"Fine! You want to go with them? I'll bury you all together!" yelled Lance as he let his anger move the earth.

Naruto rushed forward to try and stop him from bringing the school down but part of the ceiling came crashing down on top of him.

"Naruto, no!" screamed Kitty in horror. A rumble happened and she looked up as the ceiling above her now gave away as well. Time seemed to slow down and all Kitty could think of was Narutos' earlier words about trusting her instincts.

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Jean was holding back the ceiling around her and Kittys' parents but it was proving difficult. The weight of it all was just too much and she felt it giving away when Professor Xavier mentally contacted her.

'Jean, your powers! Use your powers!' exclaimed the Professor.

'I'm trying but it is too much' she replied in a strained voice.

'I'll assist, just keep your mind clear' said Charles in a strong voice.

'But Kitty' she started but the Professor stopped her with strong command.

'Keep your mind clear!'

A few moments later, Kitty emerged through the rubble with a look of amazement on her face.

"Woah!" she said with a smile. She walked up and hugged her parents then turned around.

"Everyone grab onto me, I'll get us out of here," she said confidently. Jean put her hand on Kittys' shoulder as well as her parents. The four of them then let Kitty lead them through the rubble out of the collapsed building where the Professor was waiting for them.

"You see, Kitty?" he asked with a smile, "It is indeed a gift."

Kitty smiled back before a worried look came over her, "Naruto!"

She turned to run back in when some rubble shifted and a golden light exploded into the sky then came back down to land just behind Xavier.

Naruto was covered in dust and his shirt was in rags but other than that he was fine.

"_Damn it, this was my favorite shirt!_" he said loudly though only the Professor and Jean could understand him.

Jean sighed, "Naruto, language."

Naruto turned back around to see everyone ok. He gave Jean a closed eye smile rubbed the back of his head, "Ma, sorry Jeanie-chan."

He felt a petit body slam into him. He craned his head down to see Kitty latched on to him like he would be swept away if she let go.

"I... I thought you got crushed," she said in a quivering voice.

Naruto chuckled and returned the hug. He did not see Kitty blush nor did he see Kittys' father take a few steps forward before her mother stopped him cold. Naruto released the hug and gently pushed her away by the shoulders.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, no school will ever get the best of Naruto Uzumaki!" he said with a bright smile. Kitty returned it and went to stand in front of her parents giving them a hug.

"Mom, Dad. These people, they like wanna help me. I trust them," she said with a small smile on her face. Her father was trying to give Naruto the "dad eye" when her mother elbowed him in the side.

"Ahem, yes sweetie. I trust them too," he said gently grasping her hand.

He turned to the Professor as Jean stood behind the man and Naruto gave him an honest smile.

"Professor, I think we have some things to discuss," he said in a compromising tone.

"Yes, I believe we do," Charles replied with a smile. The group headed toward the Pride residence to discuss Kitty's future. Kitty latched onto Narutos' arm on the way getting a smile out of him but an unnoticed look of ire out of her father.

Jean shook her head and laughed, 'Naruto, you have no idea what you started today!'

* * *

**Bada boom, chapter 3.**

**Not much to say, peace.**


	4. Chapter 4

_Who owns Naruto and X-men? Not me._

_Italics - not speaking English_

Underline - thoughts

**Chapter 4: Rogue Encounter**

It was just after dark, a vent in the air duct rattled and moved as a figure in black jumped down to the ground. He growled, this was all too easy. The defenses were laughable and easy to penetrate by anyone who knew what they were doing. Sniffing the air, he detected a scent he was rather familiar with as a lovely serene voice called out from the shadows.

"Impressive, you got pass the automated defenses by using the air vents," said Storm as she revealed herself. She raised her hand and smirked, "But you won't get past me!"

A window blew open and wind came rushing in but the disguised man had already jumped back into the air vents. Storm called off the wind and chuckled a little.

"Testing me, hmmm?" she questioned with the tilt of her head as she rose into the air. Lighting started to dance around her as the clouds above the mansion gathered to her call.

"Alright then, it's time you remember why they call me Storm!" she exclaimed as she commanded the clouds to release rain and funneled it into the air vent via the exhaust on the roof. The man turned and saw the water rushing at him. He tried to crawl faster but in vain as the water caught him instantly and washed him all the way down into the Danger Room.

He groaned as he hit the ground, water spreading across the floor. Storm had already made it into the Danger Room control room by the time he washed in.

"You look a little flushed," she said in a teasing tone, "and the forecast isn't good."

The man jumped towards her but a blast of freezing snow sent him to sailing into the wall. The frozen surprise he just received began to freeze the water on him and nearly incased him in ice.

"Now that," he said as the ice began to solidify, "was cold." With a grunt he broke the ice and smirked up to Storm.

"Then let's warm you up," came the cool reply. A small cannon emerged from a panel and began to fire at him. Razor sharp claws of metal emerged from his wrist as he ran to the machine and jumped on top of it. He buried his claws into the cannon which disabled it but gave him quite the shock for his trouble, blowing him across the room and ripping part of his outfit.

He looked back up at Storm in the control room and taunted her, "Gotta connect first! Got any other party tricks?"

A machine popped up from the center of the room and extended appendages with rotation blades at the end of each. It then started rotating at full speed. The man was quick to react and jumped out of the way of pain. Having enough of the thing, he ran forward and buried his claws into the bottom of it, cutting off its power supply. He moved to take it down bit by bit when a commanding voice came over the intercom.

"Stop! It is, at the moment, as much as we can afford, Wolverine," said the Professor with a sigh.

The man smirked and retracted his claws back in, "Hey when I give a demo," he said taking off his mask revealing the satisfied face of Logan, "I give a demo."

"Is that demo as in demolish or demonstration, I mean what was the point?" asked Scott as he was confused about why they needed to watch Logan go to town on the Danger Room. Jean herself had a skeptical look about her. Kurt watched the whole thing hanging upside down from his tail, enjoying some popcorn while it happened. Kitty just kind of kept to herself and watched while sitting beside Naruto who was just smirking.

Storm continued to observe the controls as she addressed his question, "The point, young Cyclops, was to teach you something about finding the weak points of sophisticated security systems." She began a replay of Wolverines' break in on a monitor as the man himself emerged from the elevator.

"That's right bub, and I'd say ours needs a little work," said Wolverine as he walked over to Storm to observe his actions. Nightcrawler was pretty impressed with Wolverines' demonstration.

"That was tight, I give it two thumbs up," he said with a smile. Jean grinned at him because he was hanging upside down making it look like he was giving two thumbs down.

Logan passed Naruto and saw his smirk, "Something funny, whiskers?"

Naruto kept smirking and nodded, "Last time you tested the defenses, you made it in within 5 minutes." His smirk widened into a full grin.

"_You're getting slower, Old Man,_" he said in his native tongue. Wolverine growled and walked on past him making sure to keep his comment in mind for when they have their eventual spar.

"The vents were pretty easily breeched," Logan said when he reached Storm, "Gonna need to fix that. Maybe electrify them or install poison gas sprayers."

"Wolverine," said Storm in a chiding tone and giving him a look of disapproval.

He crossed his arms and sneered, "Alright, alright. Knock out gas then."

That was all Kitty could take as she hugged herself and shivered. Naruto, what with her being so close to him, noticed this and asked, "Something wrong, Neko-chan?"

"Is it just me or is anyone else like seriously freaked out about all this?" she asked looking around the room. Everyone was giving her a confused look.

"Oh right, it's just me? Great," she in a low tone. A warm arm wrapped around her shoulders causing her blush.

"Ma, don't worry about it, Neko-chan. You'll get used to it sooner than you think," he said in a cheery voice making her feel warm inside.

Kurt nodded, "Yeah. Relax Kitty, you'll be fine!" He teleported right next to her startling her.

"We're right beside you," he said as he teleported one more time to the other side of Naruto with his tail holding the bowl of popcorn out to her. "Popcorn?"

She jumped out of Narutos' hold with a cry due to Kurts' rather aggressive teleporting. Kurt noticed her reaction and gained an apologetic look.

"Oops," he started with a small laugh, "Sorry, next time I'll honk before I port."

Kitty crossed her arms, kind of irritated that Kurt caused her to jump from Narutos' warm arm.

"Whatever," she said with a sigh bringing her hands behind her back, "Look guys, it's late. If it's no biggie to you I'm gonna like drop out." She then phased through the ground presumably to go get ready for bed.

Kurt gained a sad expression on his face, "Ah, she's fully not into the fuzzy dude. Not that I really blame her."

Jean walked up and gave him a pat on the back, "Aw, she just needs time, Kurt. She'll come around."

"Yeah so don't worry monkey-boy," said Naruto pushing himself off of his seat, "I'm sure you and Neko-chan will be the best of friends soon."

Kurts' eye twitched at his given nickname by Naruto. Scott had told him that Naruto gives them all nicknames sooner or later, it was just part of who he. Kurt wasn't ecstatic over "monkey-boy", but he figured he could do worse.

The elevator doors opened and Professor Xavier emerged with a stern face, "X-men, we have an emergency. Scott, get the Blackbird prepped for launch and since it's the weekend assemble the full team."

That got Narutos' attention, Kitty and Kurt haven't been out in the field yet so it was interesting that the Professor would want the full team.

"Yes sir," said Scott as he stood up straight and stern, "What's the mission?"

"Boy scout," Naruto mumbled under his breath getting a snort from Kurt.

Ignoring Narutos' comment, the Professor explained that Cerebro had detected a new mutant in Mississippi that was highly disturbed at the moment.

"Our mutant is a danger to herself and possible others as well," he said with a sigh, "X-men, we have a rogue on our hands."

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It had only taken them about 15 minutes for everyone to get suited up. Naruto stood in the chamber, staring at the Blackbird as if it were challenging him. Cyclops and Nightcrawler were already inside getting the jet ready for takeoff with Storm while Wolverine and the Professor discussed the rogue mutant.

"And you're sure you couldn't tell what kind of powers she has," asked Wolverine as he put the last pack on the jet.

"I'm sure. Her mind was... erratic, even for a mutant. I couldn't even pinpoint an exact location," admitted the Professor.

Wolverine let out a frustrated snarl, "I don't like going in blind."

"I know, old friend. I wish I could tell you more but all I know right now is that she is scared," Charles said in a calm voice.

Wolverine sighed, "Well lets go bag her and tag her then." He made his way onto the jet, "Come on, whiskers. Staring at it isn't going to change anything."

"_Maybe if I stare really hard, I can make it disappear,_" replied Naruto not taking his eyes off of the Blackbird. The Professor chuckled.

"I wish you wouldn't, Rush. We need the Blackbird," he said as he followed Wolverine.

Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath but just before he took a step onto the jet he heard his name called.

"Narut- oops, I mean Rush!" yelled Kitty as she and Jean came out of the elevator. Naruto turned around and saw Kitty running toward him stopping a few steps away.

"What do you think?" she asked doing a twirl for him to show off her uniform. Naruto grinned and gave her a thumbs up, "Very nice, Neko-chan! It suits you."

Kitty smiled and said with a blush, "You don't look half bad yourself." It was true, if his normal clothes made Naruto look cute, then his X-men uniform made him look... dare Kitty think it... hot.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head and gave Kitty a huge smile, "Thanks!"

Ok, he still acted cute even when he looked hot.

Jean walked up behind Kitty and put a hand on her shoulder, "Come on you two, it's time to go." The engines of the Blackbird started to warm up and Naruto froze. Jean sighed and turned to Kitty, "Mind helping me get him in the Blackbird?"

Kitty was confused, Jean had to do this when they left Illinois to come to the mansion a few days ago.

"Does he do this like every time he gets on the Blackbird?" asked Kitty.

Jean nodded, "Yeah, it is kind of his weakness. Naruto likes to keep his feet on the ground." Kitty giggled that someone like Naruto would have a fear of flying.

She went and put her hand on his arm giving him the puppy look that always made her dad cave, "Come on, Naruto. I wanna sit by you on the way there if that's ok."

Naruto creaked his neck down and looked at her light blue eyes. He sighed and mustered his courage, "Ma... o-ok, Neko-chan."

Kitty giggled and halfway dragged him onto the jet setting him down on one side and she right across from him. Before she could sit down, Naruto had already buckled himself in and gripping the armrests. Kitty only giggle at his antics, this was kind of fun to her.

Jean closed the door of the Blackbird and found her seat in front of Kitty. Naruto took some deep breaths and looked up front. Nightcrawler was in the pilot seat while Cyclops in the copilot seat.

"Oi, oi! What's blue wonder doing in the driver seat?" he asked in an uncharacteristic high voice.

Cyclops turned back and looked at Naruto calmly, "He's flying us to Jackson."

"_What?!_" yelled Naruto as Nightcrawler smiled mischievously.

"_Hold on to your butts_," said Nightcrawler in his native language as the Blackbird lifted off and blasted forward.

"_Goddamnit!_"

"Naruto, language."

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Ten minutes into the flight, Naruto had managed to calm down and was now sitting in his seat with his eyes closed just focusing on breathing. Cyclops had explained to Naruto that Nightcrawler had already gone through the training programs and flight simulators that were required in order to pilot the Blackbird. This somewhat eased Narutos' mind, but he knew from experience that passing the simulations and training was a far cry from the real thing.

"Stealth mode is stable. Leveling off at 10,000 feet," said Nightcrawler as he glanced at the monitors in front of him.

"Steady," nodded Cyclops, "Now hold it right there and... you got it!"

He gave the blue boy a thumbs up, "Nice job, Kurt. You'll make a pilot yet."

Kurt smiled at the praise Scott gave him and leaned back with his hands behind his head bringing his odd feet up to hold the handles. Scott cocked an eyebrow and mumbled under his breath, "Or maybe not."

Shaking his head he turned back to his monitor then faced the Professor, "I've logged our flight plan with the FAA, we're cleared through to Jackson. We'll take the van from there."

Professor Xavier nodded at Scott with a smile, "Good. You're picking up logistics quickly, Scott." Cyclops turned back around with a small smile on his face.

Kitty leaned forward and whispered to Jean, "Scott seems so like together. So cool and... he's kind of cute."

"Cute?" asked Jean with a cocked eyebrow, "Stiff maybe, exacting definitely but..." She paused and brought her hand to her chin. "Hmm, you know from a certain angle..."

She then turned back to Kitty, "Hey wait a moment, I thought you had your eye on someone else."

Kitty gave her a confused look and Jean smirked, "Don't play dumb, Kitty. I don't have to be a mind reader to see that you are into a certain whiskered faced blonde."

Kitty glanced over at Naruto who was still focusing on his breathing before leaning back with a blush and looking anywhere but Jeans' emerald eyes, "L-like, I have no idea what you are talking about."

Jean giggled and gave her a wink, "Sure you don't. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

Kurt, what with his bigger than normal ears, had heard everything between the two girls and looked back at them with a unreadable expression. It kind of hurt that the newest female mutant who kind of accepted what he really looked like wasn't into him. Kurt faced forward and put on a resolute look. Maybe if he showed her that he was braver than Naruto, she would change her mind.

With this thought, Kurt teleported from the inside of the Blackbird to the nose of it. For the first few seconds, everything was going fine. He could see into the cockpit and tried to wave at Kitty from the outside but the winds almost instantly overpowered him and sent him barreling forward. Acting on instinct, he ported back inside but the momentum from the wind continued through his port and he ended up flying right into Kittys' seat who gave a small shriek when he did.

"Kurt, the Blackbird is not the place to be fooling around," chided the Professor in a stern tone, "You frightened Kitty."

Kurt stood up with his hands behind his back and gave Kitty an apologetic look, "Sorry Kitty." Kitty shivered and unbuckled her safety belt.

"Just like stay away from me," she said as she got up to move to the seat behind Naruto who through the entire exchange kept his focus on his breathing with his eyes closed.

Wolverine, who was trying to get a small nap in, cracked his eye open and muttered under his breath, "Kids."

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Shadowcat sighed as she walked down the alley with her team that consisted of Wolverine, Nightcrawler, and Rush.

"So does this like bite or what?" she asked out loud more to herself than anyone.

Wolverine still answered her question regardless, "The Prof said that the girls mind is confused and difficult to pinpoint. So keep looking." He opened a nearby dumpster and gave a sniff.

Naruto shook his head, "I doubt she'd be in a dumpster."

Wolverine closed the top of it, "Just covering my bases, Whiskers." He started down the alleyway before stopping to sniff the air some more.

Nightcrawler went up to Wolverines' side and asked, _"What?_ Got a scent?"

Logan nodded, "Yeah, I smell fear." He then took off down the alley with the three teens right behind him. Naruto contemplated jumping to the top of the buildings to get a bird's eye view but changed his mind when the alley ended emptied into a residential area.

'Probably should keep to the ground here,' he thought as jumping from house to house to risk waking some local residents.

The group turned down another alley, this time surrounded by wooden fences when they saw a young pale girl being helped up by an older woman. The girl turned and saw them running towards her and took off, her glove being slipped off by the woman he held her hand.

Running by the woman, Wolverine spoke up, "That's gotta be her." Nightcralwer and Shadowcat followed with Naruto pulling up the rear speaking to the woman as he passed by her with a smile, "S'cuse us!"

Upon hearing Narutos' voice the woman gasped and dropped her stick but Naruto didn't think anything of it and continued forward.

The girl jumped the fence and screamed at her pursuers, "Please! Leave me be!"

Nightcrawler noticed the sheer terror in her voice and ported in front of Logan.

"Wolverine, wait," he said stopping Wolverines' chase, "She seems to be terrified by you!"

Naruto, who overtook Shadowcat after hearing the girls' cry, came up to stand beside Nightcrawler putting a hand on his shoulder, "The Blue Wonder is right. You should let us handle this."

Nightcrawler smiled up at Naruto for supporting him and Naruto gave him a wink. Wolverine sighed and pointed at Nightcrawler, "Ok, kid. Just don't mess up, ok?"

Nightcrawler grinned and gave Wolverine a salute, "Yes sir." He went to take off after the girl before Wolverine spoke up again, "I'll go find the Prof. And squirt?" Nightcralwer paused and turned back to Logan. "Put on your best face, no sense in freaking the poor kid out more than she already is."

Nightcrawler gave him two thumbs up and activated his holotransmitter to put on his civvie disguise and continued after the frightened girl.

Naruto gave a small laugh and followed him before Wolverine called out to him, "Keep an eye on the elf, Whiskers!" At this point Kitty had caught up and rushed past Wolverine to follow Naruto, "And half-pint here too!"

Kitty stopped and turned to give Logan a annoyed look, "Hey!" But Logan had already headed off to find the Professor. She turned back and continued towards Naruto, irritated by Logans' comment.

Nightcrawler ported onto a swing and greeted the girl, "_Good afternoon, miss._" The girl turned and gasped at Kurt's sudden appearance.

"Please, don't be frightened!" he said and ported onto the bird bath near her.

She took a step back and asked, "What do you want?" Her southern accent was evident in her voice.

Kurt hopped off the bird bath and took a step towards her, "To help you. We are the good guys, especially me."

She crossed her arms and gave Kurt a raised eyebrow before a voice called out from above them, "Monkey-boy is right, Shiro-chan!" She looked up and gasped as a Naruto fell down from the sky in front of her beside Kurt landing in a crouch.

He stood up and gave her a grin, "Yo!" Naruto turned to Kurt, "Good job getting her to listen, blue wonder!" Nightcrawler smiled sheepishly as Naruto turned back to the girl.

"So Shiro-chan, why did you run away from us?" he asked with the tilt of his head. She took a step back from him and replied, "Why were you chasing me?"

Nightcrawler spoke up, "We wanted to talk to you."

She looked at Kurt who gave her an honest look, "I was like you once. Alone, unsure of what I was. Afraid to show my face, can you believe it?" He ran his hand through the side of his hair and gave the girl a charming smile.

Naruto chuckled at Nightcrawlers' words and nodded at the girl, "Look, we just want to help you if you'll let us. Come on, what do ya say?" Naruto smiled and offered his hand to her.

Kitty phased through the fence, still annoyed by Logans' comment, "Half-pint? I'll show him." She saw the girl standing there with crossed arms as Naruto reached his hand out to her.

"She doesn't look that tough," she huffed as she went to tackle her.

The girl gave Naruto a confused look before looking down at his hand then back to his friendly, blue eye then to Nightcrawler who nodded at her.

Nightcrawler saw movement behind the girl and gasped then cried out, "Kitty no!"

But he couldn't stop Kitty from tackling the girl to the ground. Memories flashed in her mind, memories that weren't her own. She knew how to break out of the this hold and immediately did so pushing the girl off of her to stand and flee.

Naruto stepped forward grabbed her by the shoulders, "Oi, calm down Shiro-chan! It was a mistake!" But the girl flipped out and reached out to his face with her ungloved hand, cupping his cheek.

For half a second nothing happened then she felt it as flashes of memories came forward, a flash of blonde and red hair, flying through the air in a car, the feeling of absolute loneliness and despair, a bald man in a wheel chair, the invasion of her inner thoughts, the warm feeling that came from deep within.

She peeled her hand off Narutos' face as he went down to one knee breathing heavily. A bright emerald glow began to envelop her entire body and the fear she felt the entire night came rushing back full force and then some. Taking a few steps back, she held her head as the emerald glow began to get stronger and stronger before she let out a cry into the sky and instinctively jumped onto the nearby house putting a dent in the roof then the next house doing the same then the next until she was out of sight.

Naruto had never felt so drained in his entire life, even after spending a full day in the Danger Room he would still have some energy left but not now. He felt the dark embrace of unconsciousness calling for him and he reached out to Nightcrawler grasping his wrist getting Kurts' golden eyes to meet his darkening blue ones.

"Listen blue wonder... ha.. ha... you need to follow Shiro-chan and make sure she doesn't hurt anyone, including herself," he said in a strained voice. Nightcrawler looked back at him uncertainly, "But Rush, what about you?"

Naruto winced and fell forward but kept himself propped up with his arms, "Don't worry about me, damnit! Just go before you lose her!"

Nightcrawler looked from Naruto to Kitty who looked back at him with wide, teary eyes. He looked back at Naruto and nodded before standing up, "Ok. Shadowcat, stay here with Rush."

Nightcrawler then disappeared in a poof to follow the frightened, dangerous girl leaving Kitty alone with the drained blonde. Naruto collapsed to the ground face first.

Kitty cried out to him, "Naruto!" She crawled forward and turned him so that he was lying on his back with his head in her lap. He cracked his eyes and looked up at Kittys' worried eyes wet with unbroken tears.

"Ma, Neko-chan, "he whispered shutting his eyes and gave her a small grin, "You're pretty comfy, think I'll nap here." Then darkness took him.

The tears started to stream down as she shook him, "Naruto? Naruto!" But Naruto had passed into blissful sleep leaving a freaked out and scared Shadowcat behind.

She took some deep breaths to calm down and started to talk out loud, "Come on Kitty, think! What would Wolverine do? I mean, besides dice up half of the landscape." She looked back down to the passed out blonde in her lap and stared at his face for a moment before a thought came to her.

"Wait, the Professor can read minds right?" she said looking toward the direction Wolverine went earlier.

'Maybe he can hear my thoughts!' she hoped as she stared to call out with all of her might.

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A few blocks away, Professor Xavier sat with a look of concentration on his face holding his head. Cyclops, Storm, and Jean stood around him waiting for whatever information he can find out when he suddenly spoke up after a few moments of silence, "Odd. The trail seems to have gone suddenly cold, I can no longer read Codys' brainwave patterns."

"But if he is gone then-" Jean started but the Professor interrupted her before she could jump to conclusions, "Then it may simply mean that the effect of transference is simply temporary. Our problem now is how to find the girl."

"Try about ten gardens due west," came a deep voice as Wolverine hopped the fence onto the sidewalk.

"Kurt and Whiskers are trying to keep her from bolting," he said pointing in the direction he came from. The Professor turned his chair around to face Wolverine and started, "Then we mus-" but was interrupted when he heard a panicked mental cry.

'Professor! Professor!' he heard Kitty cry frantically. The volume of her thoughts caused him to wince, "Kitty! Kitty? Not so loud!"

'Speak slowly please, order your thoughts' he continued mentally trying to calm her down.

'It's Naruto! She hurt him. She did something to him, I don't know what to do!' she told him, her voice sounded very upset.

'Stay where you are Kitty, help is on the way,' he replied and turned to Logan, "Wolverine it's Rush, the rogue has his mind and his abilities!"

Logan growled and extended his claws, "This is my fault, I shouldn't have left them alone like that."

He quickly jumped the fence and made his way toward Naruto and Kitty. The Professor contacted Kitty again, 'Kitty, did you see which way the girl went? If she has Narutos' abilities then I won't be able to pick up her brainwaves.'

'No I didn't,' came a low reply, she had been too busy worried about Naruto, 'But Naruto sent Kurt after her so she wouldn't get away!'

The Professor gave a sigh of relief at Narutos' quick thinking then called out to Nightcrawler, 'Nightcrawler! Kurt, can you hear me?'

'Professor?' came a reply, 'Professor is that you? This is really weird.'

'Yes, Shadowcat said Rush sent you after the mutant. Have you located her? he thought back.

'Yes, she is heading towards a graveyard just outside of the area,' Kurt thought trying to show him the way with his memories.

The Professor nodded, 'Keep following her Kurt but do not make contact again! With Narutos' powers, she could be very dangerous at the moment.' He then ended the mental connection and turned towards his team, "Nightcrawler has followed the rogue to a cemetery a few blocks from here. He is to remain in the shadows and keep me informed if she moves again. You three go on ahead, I'll guide you there."

The three looked at each other before Cyclops ran off with Jean following him and Storm taking to the air leaving the Professor alone by the van ready to direct his X-men.

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Kitty just sat in the yard running her fingers through Narutos' hair as he breathed in and out, a clear sign that he at least was alive. She felt lousy though, if it weren't for her stupid action Naruto wouldn't be like this right now and they might've been heading back home. She looked down and gazed at his peaceful face with a sad expression on hers.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. This is all my fault," she whispered to him, "Maybe I'm just not cut out to be an X-man."

"Nobody is cut out to be one at first, half-pint. It takes time."

Kitty gasped as Wolverine jumped off the fence and walked over to them. He went down on one knee and put his fingers on Narutos' neck then leaned and put his head on Narutos' chest before leaning back up.

"Well, pulse is fine, breathing is normal, and his heart rate is strong," he said, "Probably just needs to sleep it off."

Kitty let out a sigh of relief and stood up when Wolverine bent down and moved to carry Naruto on his back piggyback style. He turned back towards her and looked her in the eye causing her to look away.

"What did you mean this was your fault?" he asked carefully.

She looked down, "Kurt had managed to calm the girl down enough for Naruto to come in and get her to listen to them. Then my stupid self came in trying to prove something and messed it all up."

Logan regarded her coolly before slugging Naruto on his back and groaning as he stood up, Naruto wasn't exactly the lightest person around.

"Look, mistakes happen. Trust me, I've made more than my fair share of them," he started as he walked out of the back yard. She followed him and listened to his words, "The important thing is that you learn from them and don't let them change who you are."

She nodded as the two and their unconscious blonde made their way towards the Professor. Kitty swore that she would learn from this and resolved to learn all that she could about being an X-man so that she wouldn't be a burden to the team.

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Mystique had followed the girl from the suburbs to the cemetery in the shadows, careful not to let Xaviers' team spot her. After watching her jump around with that strange glow she absorbed from the blonde, she stopped as the glow disappeared and she sat down on the ground with her head on her knees. She had been like that for some time now.

'Just one more scare and she'll come running into my arms,' she thought as she watched the girl. But just as she was about to make her move, a boy just appeared out of nowhere and walked up to the girl. She sneered, this boy was one of the ones that were with Xaviers' pet animal.

Kurt had watched her for awhile now as she ran and jumped all over the cemetery in wonder at the power she had gotten from Rush. But soon the glow faded and the girl had curled up and sat there, had been for awhile now. Kurt knew the Professor wanted him to keep his distance but he couldn't, not while she looked like that.

So he made his way out of the shadows to her. When he reached her she looked up and gasped but Kurt quickly stopped her, "Wait! Please? I'm sorry my friend frightened you, it was an accident."

The rogue looked up at him then grabbed her head, "... You're... monkey-boy? That... that isn't the real you is it?"

Kurt looked at her with a sheepish expression then went to turn off his holographic disguise. Her eyes widened at his actual appearance and he rubbed the back of his head. From the shadows, a pair of blue eyes were in shock.

'Could it be?' wondered Mystique from her hiding place. It had been so long but she had not forgotten the babe she gave up. She shook her head, now was not the time, she had to focus on the girl!

The rogue got up slowly and cautiously eyed Kurt, "This is the real you?"

Kurt nodded and did a little bow, "Straight from Germany, the amazing Nightcrawler at your service!" The girl raised her eyebrows at his announcement and Kurt just sighed, "Remember when I said I was afraid to show my face in public? This is what I meant. But since I've met the Professor, everything has turned around for me! I can go to movies, to school, even the beach! The Professor has really helped me out, and I've even made some really cool friends!"

"Kurt is right," said a soft voice. Looking behind him, Kurt saw Jean walking up and stopped beside him, "We've all felt the way you do now. Scared and confused, it's tough to go it solo."

The girl looked at her before she could put a name to her face, "You're... Jeanie-chan. You're with them!"

She began to back away when Jean put up her hands, "Relax! If you know who I am then you'll know I won't hurt you!" The girl stopped and listened to her.

"Look, no pressure," she started pulling out some sort of device, "But if you want to talk, just contact me with this." Jean lifted the device with her mind and floated it over to the girl who grabbed it with her gloved hand.

"Latest fashion accessory, huh?" she said in a small voice.

"We all have one," came a serene sounding voice. She looked up and saw the white haired lady from before that was throwing lightning at her. She began to panic and back away, "Y-you! No, you won't take me!"

She ran as Cyclops dived for her but ended up in the mud. Nightcrawler ported in front of her to stop her, "Wait, what is wrong?"

"Just go away!" she yelled as she reached out with her ungloved hand. Nightcrawler ducked out of the way but his tail rose on instinct making contact with the girls' hand.

She let go almost as soon as she grabbed it and teleported on instinct. Nightcrawler stumbled back and fell to the ground on his rear.

"Kurt! Are you alright?" asked Jean as she rushed to his side. Kurt shook his head, it was like his brain went dark for a moment, "Yeah, just really tired. I feel like I've been porting all day."

Scott came up and put a hand on Jeans' shoulder, "Come on, she couldn't have gotten far."

Jean looked back at Kurt, "You gonna be ok?"

Kurt nodded, "Just need to rest for a moment. She didn't grab me nearly as long as Rush."

Jean nodded and followed Scott towards a mausoleum. Cyclops walked toward the entrance when in a poof the girl appeared in front of him. He gave her a smile but she looked at him then back into the mausoleum. She then shoved him onto the ground and the impact caused his visor to activate shooting his beam at a nearby power tower damaging it.

She backed up into the mausoleum when "Jean" appeared behind her looking very angry, "I tried to be nice! I really did but now you've forced my hand!"

"Jean" lifted her hand up at the girl but she teleported outside near Nightcrawler. He tried to move to her but stumbled, still weak from her brief touch.

She crawled backwards and stood up but ran into Storm when tried to grab her by the shoulders, "Child, what is it? We are your friends."

But the girl quickly made contact with her arm bringing Storm down, knocking her into a small puddle in a blast of lightning. Cloud began to form over head and the wind began to pick up.

Scott and Jean made their way over to Kurt with Scott asking, "Hey what's with the effects? Is... oh no."

The girl began to float into the air with her arms spread. The wind began blowing violently, rain and lightning crashing down. Jean put up a telekinetic barrier when a bolt of lightning hit the damaged tower causing it to sway and electrify.

"If the power line hit that water, Storm will fry!" he yelled as he and Jean rushed to grab Storm. He made it to Storm and grabbed her by the waist as Jean pulled all three of them into the air just in time as the tower came down right underneath them sending electricity everywhere. Nearby Kurt took cover in an open mausoleum, feeling near useless while he was so drained. Scott turned and looked at the girl as she started to glow emerald again. The weather really began to pick up then, trees were uprooted from the ground, lightning striking twice as fast, the amount of rain falling instantly doubled.

She groaned and cried out, "The power! I can't... control it! I have... I have to! AHH!"

She then disappeared with a poof, leaving the area. The skies cleared and Jean brought them down to the ground. Nightcrawler came out of his hiding spot and rushed over to where the others were. The three looked at each other then at the unconscious Storm who groaned. A soft whirring sound caught their attention and they looked over to see the Professor with Shadowcat and Wolverine who had an unconscious Naruto on his back.

Kitty rushed over to Kurt who had fallen to one knee and asked, "Are you ok?"

Kurt nodded, "Just worn out."

Kitty gave him a smile, "You know, you were pretty cool when Naruto sent you after the rogue."

Kurt returned her smile with a sheepish one of his own, "Well if being cool means that I have to feel like this every day, I think I'll pass."

Kitty giggled as the Professor came up to Scott who supported a waking Ororo. He turned to the Professor and asked, "What do you think happened to the rogue?"

The Professor sighed, "Ah, she's gone... somewhere. I can sense her mind again, but it is a jumble. Too chaotic, I can't trace it."

He gave his team a dark look, "But I strongly suspect the hand of another at work here."

"Hmm," said Wolverine who sniffed the air and growled, "Mystique. She can change her body but she can't change her scent."

Kitty walked over to the Professor with a ready look on her face, "Then we have to go after her!" She wanted this Mystique to pay for making their mission so difficult and ending up in failure.

The Professor shook his head, "No, there has been enough damage done today. The girl must come of her own free will or not at all and we must attend to our own for now."

As if waiting for him to address them, Storm groaned and opened her eyes. Scott helped her to her feet and steadied her when she swayed.

"Ma... You aren't comfy, old man," came a tired voice from behind Logan.

Wolverine sneered and let Naruto drop to the ground on his rear, "Oi! What you do that for?!"

"Sorry Whiskers, I didn't think you'd land hard with your head so full of air," smirked Wolverine.

Naruto stood up mumbling something about furry old men and surveyed the area. The cemetery looked like a tornado ripped through it. He whistled, "Man, looks like I missed the fireworks."

He nearly fell over when Kittys' petit body slammed into him giving him a crushing hug, "Naruto, I am like so sorry! I swear I won't do anything that stupid every again!"

Naruto regained his footing and brought his hands to Kittys' shoulders, "Don't worry about it Neko-chan."

Kitty looked up at Naruto to see his reassuring smile and just squeezed him tighter burying her face in his chest. She eventually got what she needed and ended her hug but swapped his torso for his arm, locking a death grip on him.

The Professor rolled up to Storm and asked, "How are you feeling, Storm?"

Storm brought her hand to her head and said, "I will be alright Professor, I just need some rest."

He nodded and turned to Naruto who Kitty still had in her grip, "And you, Rush?"

Naruto looked at the Professor and was about to say fine when his stomach let out a very loud growl, "I. Am. Starving!"

The Professor chuckled, "Well then, let us head home then everyone."

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Mystique sat in her office with the newly dubbed Rogue. She had just finished explaining how she will be happy and safe during her stay at Bayville.

Rogue nodded, "Sure... thank you."

She then got up to leave but gave the disguised Mystique a second look. Mystique smiled at her and she got an unsure small smile in return. Rogue then walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

For a few moments, she just sat there leaning against her desk when some free paper clips began to float and dance around each other.

"The girl has great power," came a deep voice that seemed to echo, "She is a fine addition to our side."

Mystique smirked and let her disguise fall, "Yes, we were lucky to get to her first."

"Indeed," said the voice, his figure hidden in the shadows, "You're certain that any residual memories of the true X-men have faded?"

She nodded, "Positive."

"Good," he said. The window opened without anyone touching it and he moved towards it, seemingly floating. He stopped just before he left, "I will be gone for quite some time, Mystique."

Mystique cocked an eyebrow, "Where will you be going, master?"

He floated out the window and replied, "Northern Japan. There is an interesting rumor that I wish to investigate."

He then floated into the sky and out of sight. Mystique watched him go and gained an angry look on her face before dawning her disguise of Ms. Darkholm, high school principal. She sat down at her desk and opened the top drawer pulling out the picture of what looked like a blue, furry baby.

She sighed and put the picture away, burying the thought currently going through her mind. She needed to turn her attention to Rogue, not focus on something she had given up long ago. Still, a wayward tear broke from her eye as she left the office to see to her principal duties.

* * *

**Peace out. **


End file.
